


By the Light of the Fireflies

by pagerunner



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Dalen's Closet Spoilers, F/M, Post-Campaign
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-17
Updated: 2019-09-17
Packaged: 2020-10-20 09:15:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20672936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pagerunner/pseuds/pagerunner
Summary: After their eventful wedding night, Percy and Vex take some time together to process all that's happened. Directly follows the Dalen's Closet one-shot.





	By the Light of the Fireflies

Fireflies still linger around Vex long after the ceremony, miniature lights orbiting the brightest sun.

Most of them do fade over time, of course, their enchantment waning throughout the impromptu celebration and long dance afterward. But several of them stay near. Percy, too, holds Vex close while Scanlan and Kaylie play, enough to feel the still-rapid thrum of Vex’s heart, and he takes great care to lead their steps well away from the cliff’s edge. Vex is radiant in his arms, but then she would have been so even without the blessing, or the little enchanted lights that bob and spin around them as they move. She’s obviously tired, but she keeps smiling up at him. Her hair still smells of the sea.

He’d come so close to losing her that he’d be terrified if he stopped to think about it, and so he doesn’t. He just keeps up the dance and endures the congratulations and makes _certain_ Cassandra is being taken care of — which will be a much longer conversation in the morning, he’s sure, but Allura’s with her for now, and there are few people he’d trust more. Besides, his wife is whispering, “We need to get back to Vesper,” and she’s right.

Percy says his goodbyes and guides Vex this time back to their rooms, where she takes no time at all to dismiss Vesper’s minder before she picks up their sleepy girl from the bed, and holds her just as tightly as Percy had held Vex. Percy can tell she’s trembling. He goes to support them both.

Vesper fusses only a little, and then she starts watching the fireflies.

“How long do you think they’ll last?” Percy asks, while Vesper reaches up to try to grab one of them. It swerves easily away.

“Well, they’re Keyleth’s. And, I mean, she’s practically a god.” Vex lets out an odd little laugh. “So who knows.”

Percy brushes her hair back and kisses her temple. Then he stands back and tries to count. One firefly is humming around the edge of Vex’s skirt. One had landed some time ago in her headpiece and seems content to stay there, winking gently. “There’s six of them, I think,” he says once he marks off the others. Then it hits him. “Six stars.”

“Hmm?”

She’s distracted already, bent over Vesper. Percy thinks about explaining the resemblance to the stars in their crest, but at that moment, one of the fireflies lands on Vesper’s forehead and makes the little girl giggle. After that it doesn’t seem important.

Percy reaches out and gingerly touches Vesper’s warm little cheek, his breath catching, and says nothing more until Vesper turns her head to nuzzle in against Vex’s breast. Vex looks down at her suddenly awkward dress and makes a face. “Can you help me get out of this?” she asks.

“Oddly enough, that is a skill that I’ve acquired,” he says dryly. “Set her down a moment.”

Vesper isn’t happy about it, but Vex complies, freeing her arms so that she can maneuver out of the dress once Percy undoes the back. If she were wearing her formal wedding gown, with its rows upon rows of tiny buttons, this would be even harder, but this dress is still more than elaborate enough, and the fabric’s stiffened oddly from being soaked and air-dried. Percy tenses again at the thought, and his fingers tremble as he brushes a lingering bit of salt from Vex’s skin. A firefly flicks past, following the trail.

“We should wash this off,” he says.

“I really need to see to Vesper…”

“It won’t take long,” he assures her, and he wonders from the look in her eyes if she’s shying away from the idea of water. More softly, he adds, “I’ll help.”

She lets the dress fall the rest of the way off, startling the fireflies, which finally disperse to various points in the room. Vex stands in the puddle of fabric for a while as she catches her breath. Then she nods, and the two of them go together to the bath.

They do make short work of it, and it’s really more of a sponge bath in the end, neither one of them wanting just now to get submerged. Percy takes the chance to check Vex over everywhere, and somewhere in the middle of it all an apology bursts free, like it’s the last gasp of air he was holding underwater, desperately punched from his lungs. “I’m sorry,” he says. “I panicked. The water. I couldn’t see what to do…”

Vex takes his face between both hands and silences it all by kissing him soundly.

“So did I,” she whispers when she finally releases him. “And I know you’ve always been afraid of drowning. I can’t blame you.”

He shuts his eyes, briefly overcome by the memory. Talking again takes effort. “I was drowning for years, Vex. I’d have gone under completely without you. And I couldn’t have borne it to lose you that way after it all.” A strange little laugh shakes him. “Is there a goddess of irony somewhere in the pantheon? Because this seems like _somebody’s_ diabolical plan.”

“I think so. A cruel one. Terrible sense of humor.”

“Of course she’d have to intervene right after I said Sylas bored me.”

“And after I headbutted him,” Vex reminds him. She reaches up to rub her forehead. “I almost wish she’d intervened sooner. Would have saved me the headache.”

“It was fantastic form, though.”

“Well, of course,” she says, as if put out that anyone might think otherwise. He kisses the crown of her head.

“You were brave up there, dear. You are always brave.”

“Still doesn’t solve everything,” she says softly, and there’s real regret there before she puts the thought aside. “Well, that’s why we keep our friends close, I suppose. To save the day when fate starts fucking with us.”

“That’s true enough.”

Vex draws back far enough to look up at him. “And so is everything I said in my vows, darling. Remember that. A little unplanned diving expedition isn’t going to change anything.”

“Mine too,” he says hoarsely. “Always.”

When he feels his voice crack, he kisses her this time, softer and slower than before. As sweet as it is, he’s still caught on the edge of a thought when it ends, and Vex can obviously sense it. She asks softly, “What is it, Percy?”

He laughs self-deprecatingly. “I think we all need to swear off this entire cliff-diving enterprise, is all. It hasn’t gone well for any of us so far.”

Vex lets out a little, watery laugh, too, like she was almost starting to cry before he said that. “Definitely not a hobby I’m ever letting Vesper take up.”

“We’ll make sure she sticks to safer activities. Like bear wrestling.”

“Honestly, that one’s cheating. Trinket adores her. I think he’d just let her win.”

“All the better, then,” Percy says, and turns to reach for a robe. The pressure in his chest feels lighter now, at least, and as much as he always enjoys seeing his wife — his wife in all proper ways, now — undressed, there’s something pleasantly, softly sensual about slipping the fabric around her shoulders like this, and watching her happily settle into it. He grabs another and does the same. “Let’s go see our little bear-tamer.”

Within moments they’re settled into a window seat together, with Vesper in Vex’s arms, and the last of the magic fireflies — finally fading now, having been separated from Vex a while — hovering lazily overhead. It’s comfortable and quiet, with only the distant sound of the sea behind them, and Vesper’s contented little noises as she’s fed. Vex does swear once at some twinge Percy can’t even guess at, but the particular quality of the curse at least proves she’s feeling like herself. She adjusts Vesper a little, leans back, and sighs. There’s a faint smile on her lips.

“I guess Vesper’s going to learn all the best words early,” she admits.

“Seems only fitting.” He pauses. “I think your brother would approve.”

Vex goes quiet again. “Do you?”

“I seem to remember the two of you with your little sister, introducing her to the finer points of scatological language.”

“Hah. Well, yes. There’s that.”

Percy takes a deep breath. “Are you all right, about seeing him at the ceremony?”

The oddest look flickers across her face. “Seeing him like _that_, you mean?” The fireflies above her do a disconcerting swerve before she sighs and shakes her head, thinking it through. “It was all meant in kindness. I got to _see_ him again. And no matter how strange he was…he was kind, too.” She smiles wistfully. “That’s what I’m holding onto.”

Percy puts an arm around her. “Good.”

“I wish he could have seen her,” she says, looking down at Vesper.

“I’m sure he knows.”

“He always had a soft spot for children. I know he’d have spoiled her rotten.”

Percy reaches over to brush back Vesper’s faint little wisp of dark hair. “We’ll just have to work doubly hard at doing that ourselves, then.”

Vex’s lips twitch upward again before she says, “Would you like to hold her?”

Percy keeps his composure about it, but he still feels himself catching his breath again. He always does. Vex, of course, was witness to his early awe and anxieties: the fear that he’d do something wrong, drop her, summon up a terrifying smoke monster in a moment of panic and scar her forever. But there have been no crises, and no one, not even Vex, has thought better of everything and pulled Vesper away. _You’re allowed,_ he reminds himself. _She’s fine. You’re fine._

_Against all odds…she’s yours._

Percy gingerly reaches out, and Vex, looking as if she knows full well what’s still going through his head, maneuvers the sleepy, sated little girl into his hands. Percy feels the weight as acutely as ever, but also the warmth. Vesper lets out a brief little squall, waving her arms, then looks up at him and calms.

“See?” Vex says gently, while pulling her robe closed. “Still not going to explode as soon as you touch her.”

“To be fair,” Percy reminds her, “a lot of things I make do.”

“And that’s why you have me around to help.”

“In this case, I wouldn’t call it _help_. It’s clear you did most of the work.”

“That,” Vex says with feeling, “is true. Although I’d like to stop speaking of our little girl like she’s a tinkering exercise.”

Percy chuckles. Vesper, lulled by the sound, relaxes enough that her eyes start drifting shut. Percy stops even trying to talk for a while. He just holds her, watching her breathe, studying the delicate fan of her eyelashes against her skin. Vex leans over after a little while, her head against his shoulder.

“I love watching you with her,” she says.

“You do?”

“I’ve never seen you marvel over anything the way you do her. And we’ve met _gods._”

Vesper lets out a little hiccup. Percy does his best to soothe her. “Call me conceited,” he murmurs, “but I’m more impressed by what we’ve created than most of what I’ve seen them get up to.”

“Conceited?” Vex’s voice goes dry. “Oh, well. You’ve _never_ been that.”

“Perish the thought.”

“Some would call what you just said blasphemous, you know.”

He gives her a look. “I think I’d call it love.”

Vex gazes back at him in return, her eyes warm. She looks beautiful. There’s still, he thinks, the faintest of glows about her, too; it would be difficult to tell under full light, but here in the dim room, the magic limning her still shows. “I will say this for the blessings of the gods,” he tells her, conceding the only point that’s worth conceding. “You were glorious.”

Vex, flattered, repeats the word. “_Glorious_, was I?”

“Absolutely. And if ever there were a time to call on Pelor…”

“Burning that bastard to cinders felt like the moment to do it.”

“It was,” he says. “It suited. And considering all he’s done, Whitestone will honor you forever for it.”

Vex leans against his shoulder again. “I didn’t even do it for Whitestone,” she admits. “I did it for us.”There’s a brief pause before she wrinkles her nose. “The honor doesn’t hurt, though.”

Percy smiles fondly. “I am so glad I married you.”

“Twice,” Vex says, and yawns. “Worth it both times.”

He almost says something else, but Vex’s eyes are starting to drift shut, too. In answer, the fireflies above them slowly descend. They’re very faint now, but they swirl one more time around everyone as if to say goodnight. The space feels very private between them, very close. In the dim, Percy takes a deep breath and whispers to them both, “You’re worth everything.”

Vex smiles. Vesper wriggles, and then quiets, and sleeps.

And he holds onto them both for the rest of the night.


End file.
